Hello
by Moira.Shipper
Summary: Set one year after the Mockingjay part 2. What if Effie never returned to the Twelve afraid of Haymitch's response? What would happen to Haymitch? Would he move on? Would one day she call him?


**Author:** MoiraShipper

 **Song:** Hello-Adele

 **Summary:** Set one year after the Mockingjay part 2. What if Effie never returned to the Twelve afraid of Haymitch's response? What would happen to Haymitch? Would he move on? Would one day she call him?

 **Hello**

 _Hello, it's me_

 _I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet_

 _To go over everything_

 _They say that time's supposed to heal ya_

 _But I ain't done much healing_

The District Twelve had undergone some major changes in a year, since the end of President Snow's government, Effie could tell. While there was still a lot of destruction caused by the bombing from the Capitol, small houses and shops were being built, there were flowers in the park and a peace brought by the lack of the presence of the peacekeepers.

Effie's heart was beating fast as she walked down the stone road towards the Victor's Village in her low high heels. The war had also brought changes in Effie herself, who no longer wore wigs and extravagant makeup. No, she'd left her blonde curls fall over her shoulders, wearing a pale yellow dress. Not only because the Capitol's fashion was over, but after realizing all that wasn't important and didn't define who she was. She had learned that from Haymitch.

Haymitch, the reason why she was there, and her heart was beating fast as she squeezed the handle of her suitcase in her hand. He had told her not to be a stranger after kissing her, right?

Still they hadn't spoken for a year after the sweet kiss. But because of her. Effie hadn't been ready to talk with him while not knowing what to do with her life. The work as escort was over and not much was left to her in the Capitol. Many people in the city were jobless, those related to the games, among them had been her. Her life had turned upside down and, after a while, she'd begun to doubt whether Haymitch had been seriously, after the first few months.

If that kiss hadn't happened because it was a farewell, or because they had overthrown Snow. When the first month had passed without any news from him and his phone mute when she'd risked calling him, Effie broke her own phone, it was useless now and she'd started focusing on rebuilding her life. But all night, while looking at herself on the mirror and seeing her lips, she'd remember of Haymitch and his kiss and her heart would break, while crying. She wanted him so badly.

And then, a year later, seeing that it was August 17, Haymitch's birthday, Effie's longing had increased and she made the decision to go to District Twelve and see him, to know if he felt what she felt for him or not .

"Haymitch? Take these sheets to the bedroom."

Effie stopped in her tracks, at the iron gate, seeing a woman with black and curly hair smiling and extending a folded sheet set to a blond man, his hair slightly longer than Effie could remember and a small smile on his face as he took the sheet and the two entered together in the victor's house.

"Haymitch..." Effie gasped, while her legs trembled and gave away, making her fall on the stones, forgetting her suitcase beside her as the tears rolled down her face. "Haymitch!" She screamed in pain, fighting the lump in her throat while she replayed the image of the man and the woman in her mind again.

Why? Why? WHY?

"Obviously you fool, after a year do you really think he would be waiting for you with arms wide open? A year without talking to him?" Effie scolded herself, almost smiling as tears continued to fall until the tears gave way to a sad smile and she got up hurriedly, rubbing her eyes, picking up her bag and walking back to the road.

There, she leaned against the wall of the empty station, letting the bag fall to her side again and putting a hand to her chest that tightened painfully along with the lump in her throat while their kiss replayed in her mind, his thick lips and his beard harsh on her skin, but gentle at the same time, his scent, his hand touching her cheek, mixed with his image and then the strange brunette's smiling and entering the house.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed down slowly and picked up a mirror, trying to dry her face and fix her makeup as best she could, then turning around and looking at the Victor's Village road with a sad smile, saying:

"Happy birthday Haymitch, my darling, that this summer be good for you..."

Then she tried to fake a smile to get on the train and go back to the Capitol.

 _Hello from the other side_

 _I must have called a thousand times_

 _To tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've done_

 _But when I call you never seem to be home_

One year later...

Sitting on her couch and drinking a glass of wine, Effie watched the lights from the Capitol from her window, thoughtful, leaving the papers she had been reading aside. A year had passed since her disastrous visit to District Twelve and gradually she had begun to rebuild her life. Plutarch had gotten her a job as a consultant from District Twelve, but so far she had postponed a visit there as much as she could.

She wanted so much for Haymitch to be happy... But it was so hard to see him with another woman after a decade being in love with him. A decade taking care of him, being teased by him, but a decade they'd became friends and then he'd saved her from the Capitol, had stayed by her side in District Thirteen giving her strength and then, he'd kissed her.

A new tear rolled down her face, only showing her that she hadn't managed yet to forget about him and then she put a hand to her face, sniffing.

Two quickly knocks on the door caused Effie to jump, frightened, how it tended to happen with certain noises after the period of war. Leaving aside the glass of wine, she ran a hand through her blond curls, trying to stay quiet, so maybe the visitor would leave.

"Effie, open the door!"

"Haymitch?" She muttered to herself, shocked.

Stumbling to the door, she put her hand on the doorknob, but her heart was beating so fast and she was so nervous and afraid to face him, she withdrew her hand, bringing her fist to her lips when a cry threatened to slip through her lips.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR TRINKET!"

Effie's eyes widened like two blue plates, opening the door and gasping. It wasn't the Haymitch she had seen a year ago, healthy, clean and smiling. No, his eyes were red, his shirt wrinkled and smelling of alcohol. But what made her take her hands to his face, ignoring the fear that his expression made her feel, was the expression of sadness and disappointment on his face.

"Haymitch... what happened to you?" She asked gently, her thumb stroking his face, while holding him, feeling him unshaven, wanting to feel it rub on her skin.

Haymitch had to control himself not to kiss her lips painted in red, so sexy even in a situation like that.

"You happened." He replied rude, grabbing her wrists and making her release his face and when she opened her mouth, he interrupted. "You've spent nearly a decade trying to get my attention. We hung together in District Thirteen, we kissed, but we never talked about it!"

He entered the apartment, throwing his hands in the air, visibly drunk and Effie closed the door carefully, turning to him, feeling a little happiness to see him again before he continued to speak and her stomach jumped:

"I kissed you because I love you princess. But you've chosen to ignore it. You went to District Twelve and didn't speak to me. Or even to the kids, damn it."

Even drunk, he knew what he was talking about. He had been so disappointed and with a broken heart after hearing of her visit from Plutach that morning, nearly breaking his entire house and then turning to bottle after bottle before coming to confront her in the Capitol. It was hard for him to open up to people and even harder to show his feelings to them. But he had trusted her to his heart to in the end be abandoned like always.

"Ho-How do you know I was there?" It was all she managed to say, frowning at him. She hadn't met anyone there that could tell she'd been there. And also, she looked very different now from when she had been an escort.

"Plutarch has been keeping an eye on you, did you know?" Seeing her expression of surprise, Haymitch continued, his voice filled with a disappointment that she had never heard before, except on the rare occasions he'd mentioned his family and Maysilee. Could she be wrong? Did he really mean it when he said he loved her?

"I asked him to do that, since I couldn't be here with you because of the Mockingjay. He told me you've been quite sad but pretending everything was fine with a smile. He said things were difficult. I tried calling you, but he told me you've hung off the phone line."

"Because I've tried to call you several times!" She argued desperately, getting in front of him, her arms hugging her own body. "But you didn't answer."

"The telephone lines had been cut while the power was restored in the District Twelve." He replied exasperated and she looked at him surprised. "And after that, I went to a clinic for alcohol detox for almost three months, I was trying to surprise you. But when I called you, the line wasn't working and Plutarch explained me why." He said finally, tired, his hair falling over his moist eyes, making new tears fall from her own eyes and hold him tightly, ignoring his attempt to make her release him.

 _The things he did for me..._ She thought sadly.

"Haymitch... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She said crying, stroking the hairs on his nape and Haymitch's hands fell beside his body motionless. "I needed time to myself to think about my life."

"Why didn't you write a letter? Or rather, why bother to go there so if all this hadn't mean anything to you?"

"I never said that! If you went all Panem to accuse me of something so ridiculous, you better leave!" She exclaimed, getting away from him, her eyes angry. "When you didn't answer, I admit that I doubted our kiss. And I was feeling so lost that I decided to get away from everything for a while. But when it was your birthday, I gathered courage to confront you and make the visit that I promised, but then I saw you with a brunette smiling and I ran away without talking to you. It wasn't the brightest idea." Effie admitted embarrassed, wiping her eyes and he nodded, staring at her, his face unreadable.

"You're right, it wasn't intelligent, you should have told me." She shook her head. "That woman was Hazelle, Gale's mother. She's been working as a housekeep in my house while I was trying to stay sober."

 _What have I done?_ Effie thought desperate, staring at Haymitch's red eyes.

"Haymitch..." She called, in a mix of relief and then sadness at what she had done, taking his hand in hers. "Forgive me please, forgive me. I love you so much..."

He just nodded, inhaling her sweet scent, tightening the hold in her hand and then breaking the hold, heading for the door and leaving, letting Effie standing in the living room, confused as her lips started to tremble with the crying she was holding. He was gone. Gone from her life for good.

"I never meant to hurt you...I'm sorry for breaking your heart..." She murmured, lost.

When she found the strength to move her legs toward the door and open it, the blond was still behind it, his fist raised as if to knock on the door.

"Haymitch?" She looked curiously before she felt his arms involve her in an embrace, tight and comforting, his huge body covering her before her guided them toward her couch and sat her on his lap.

God, how he had missed her scent. Her voice. And hearing her saying she was sorry broke his heart so much more than when he had heard about her being in District Twelve.

Confused, she looked at him, who seemed mildly amused despite his red eyes.

"I thought you were gone!"

"I just wanted to start over princess." He said, now more serious, as he touched his forehead to hers, his beard brushing her cheek in the process, making her to close her eyes for a moment, feeling relieved and secure with him.

"No, there is nothing to forgive. I should have written a letter or something, but I was never good with messages. Please, you've already cried so much today."

He kissed her eyelids a little awkward, never having been good on comforting someone and Effie broke down and pressed her lips to his once, then twice, saying between laughs and cries:

"Still, I've made you start drinking again after all these months!"

"And you can make up helping to keep me away from the drinks when we get back to District Twelve."

This made her stop giving him kisses, looking at him and frowning:

"Get back? But what about work? "

"Your job as District Twelve consultant will be more effective if done from there. Plutarch also approves. C'mon princess, I don't want to be away from you again." He admitted awkwardly, putting a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Having her with him in his house was all that he needed. He was lost for her and also knew it would be good for her.

"I know things have been difficult for you here. So I want you there, with Katniss, Peeta. With me. People who will look after you and care. I don't want to hear Plutarch talking anymore about how you've changed."

"Why have you stopped drinking?" She asked staring at his gray eyes, feeling her heart melt with his statement and he sighed, still playing with a lock of her hair.

The months without his bottles had almost made him crazy, while crying for Effie.

"Because of you. Once you told me I couldn't understand what was happening around me because I was always drunk and you were right. You were always looking after me Effie." He released the lock and clasped her hand with his, lifting them into the air so both could see. "The children miss you."

"And what about you?" She murmured, raising an eyebrow.

"I said I love you."

"I'll accept to go to your house. And keep you from drinking." She replied softly, stroking his ear in a way that calmed him and then he held her face in his hands for her to stay still, saying with a smirk:

"Stay still, princess don't move, now I'm gonna kiss you for real. Not just a kiss." He said, referring to their first kiss and the pecks she had given him a few minutes ago and she nodded..

His stronger lips were approaching hers, leaning gently, hesitating if she'd open them, but feeling she was ready, he captured them in a ravenous kiss that Effie quickly responded to. His tongue parted Effie's lips, while they felt the sweet taste of the kiss.

Slowly they were slipping from the couch to the rug on the floor until Haymitch was over her, kissing while maintaining an interlaced hand and the other, exploring their bodies. Haymitch's strong and tanned fingers were opening her robe and helping her take it off and then stroking her back as she buried one hand in his hair in the kiss's rhythm.

Both were relieved that everything was fine. His hand went up from her back to her nape, caressing her and supporting her as the kiss deepened and she opened his shirt with one hand, getting rid of it.

His hands now free, caressed her boldly, in awe of her beautiful body and lowered to between her thighs, making her gasp and avert from his lips and put her own hand on his chest over his heart, feeling the sweat began to drip on his skin and closing her eyes as he continued with the caresses, watching her. What a perfect moment

Her hands fell to the hem of his pants, getting inside and taking him in her hands, feeling him and making Haymitch moan while one of his fingers moved inside of her until they both reached the climax together, sweat as they rested for a moment, he on the floor with her head over his chest, both listening to their beats and pulsation synchronized and Haymitch gave a small smile.

Haymitch then kissed her again before staring at her blue eyes that were sparkling ready for more and then he helped her to get up, then being guided by her down the hall to the blonde's bedroom while he turned off the light in the hall.

Before entering the room, he stopped, holding her hand and making her go back to him, and saying sincere:

"Effie, I love you. Don't be a stranger ever again."

She nodded, smiling tearfully while pulling him into her bedroom for a long kiss, saying:

"I won't. I love you too."

 _Hello from the outside_

 _At least I can say that I've tried_

 _To tell you I'm sorry_

 _For breaking your heart_

 _But it don't matter, it clearly_

 _Doesn't tear you apart anymore_

 **The end**


End file.
